[shootracing22]

I have a 12v Cummins swapped 1989 Chevy V3500 crew cab 4WD square body with about 10" lift with 37's. (See below for swap more details)
Been wanting to up the power to the 500hp range at 3000rpm. Max torque will be in the neighborhood of 1000 ftlbs.

As far as my long-term goal for more horsepower goes I have several obstacles to overcome a little at a time.
1. Lift pump- I think the aftermarket fuel lift pump is not up to the challenge. I have read that there is a Cummins factory pump with a certain cast number that will do the trick. Planning on changing to this one soon. The truck falls on its face around 3000rpm. I plan on tapping into the pump supply with a gauge, so I will know for sure where the fuel pressure before swapping lift pumps.
2. Head gasket issues- I milled the head and ran a Felpro gasket that looked like a OE. Big mistake. With 18 degrees of timing when running it hard it lifts the head and a small amount of coolant leaks from the rear of the head even with ARP studs. I lubed and retorqued all the bolts one at a time with no luck. So, to correct this I ended up dropping the timing to 16 degrees. But to achieve the HP / RPM goal. I am thinking that the timing will need to be in the 19 to 25 degrees. So, a new Cummins OE head gasket is what I am thinking about trying to accomplish this. I see a few posts about the Victor / Mahle gaskets working ok but I am not sure if that is the case at this performance level. I lapped the valves when the head was off in the previously but still had a few minor pits I couldn’t remove. Maybe this go around I should fix this and polish the head a little better as well.
3. Transmission upgrades- Torque converter is a Transtar billet piston converter that is a little loose for my liking. Tranny is a stock 2003 4l80e I was told had low mileage. So, I been researching what is needed to make it hold more power. So, I am thinking that I can get a triple disk torque converter from Jake’s Transmission. Use their upgraded input shaft, dual feed the direct drive and ask for any other hydraulic improvements they recommend. The other option is to buy a complete stage 2 or 3 kit from Jakes.
4. Drive train – Run a set of custom Reaper traction bars to prevent axle wrap after getting the pinion angle where is needs to be. I still need to research this but I am thinking that a transfer case brace would be a good idea to. It’s a long setup with the 4l80e np205 and GV OD. I am also concerned the u-joints may not hold. Still running the stock u joint I think it’s a 1350 greaseable joint. I am wanting to do some searching for a stronger non-serviceable joint. When my rear drive shaft was built I requested for a HD tube. Not sure what they used but he was confident it would hold.
5. Fueling- Currently I am running the factory 180 delivery valves and 5x9 factory injectors. I am thinking about going with a 500 or 550 hp fuel set up from Power Driven Diesel. Kit includes injectors 5x12 and 025 or 7mm DVs. Then I would like to put it on a dyno and see what it does. If I am not happy with it a compound set up would be the way to go but I seen some dyno pulls done by PDD with a gated S362 with a tight turbine housing. Seemed like it is exactly what I need without the trouble of fitting a second turbo.

This is all a trial and error so please if you have any advise from similar set ups please share it.

Here is a summary of my setup
1989 Chevy 3+3 4x4 V3500 w/ 1998 12 valve 6BT Cummins w/ ARP HS, KDP, timing 18 deg, 60lb valve springs on ex valves, 4kGSK, BW s360 60/68/.81 turbo, 4" exhaust, modded AFC & OHV, no plate, 180 pump, 181 DV, stock injectors, 4l80e, NP205, Gearvender OD, Dana 60 Front & 14 bolt back with 4.56, CCSB, 9" lift, 37 mud grapplers on 16x12 M/T Classic III